406 - HULK LIKE KITTY
by Shifteraei
Summary: SHIELD Recruit Survival Tip #406 - When Bruce Banner appears to be turning green, bring him a kitten. The 'other guy' likes kittens. Don't ask why. He just does.


**Disclaimer: Don't own Avengers **

**Author's Note: Hope you like…. Beta-ed by SecretDime, though I made major changes to the beginning. Any mistakes are mine. ALSO! I'm taking part in an action to raise funds for Archive Of Our Own, an amazing website that I love. If you're interested, go check out ao3auction(.tumblr)(.com) I'm under the name WyckedStarr (fanfiction hates links)**

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_**#406 – HULK LIKE KITTY**_

Avengers Tower was always full of animals. Every single one of them had a huge soft spot for animals and were always bringing home strays. Even Tony and Natasha would bring home animals, although may the gods help you if you commented on it, in any way that suggested that they were going soft. With the exception of the baby birds and those with broken wings that Clint was always bringing home, every single one of those strays were found a safe and loving home, something that wasn't hard when you were America's favourite heroes.

Therefore it was no surprise that there were kittens in the tower the day they were attacked. Bruce had just brought them in, having found them near one of the labs he visited often. He had just settled them into the special little room that Tony had built for that exact purpose, when a missile had torn through the building, sending an entire floor crashing down on top of him.

Hulk roared, shaking the rubble off his back. The tiny part of him that was still Bruce Banner noted absent-mindedly that Tony built, or had people construct, really good buildings. The tower had just copped a missile right through the middle but the upper floors were still standing. Another missile slammed into Hulk's back, pushing him across the floor. He snarled, legs bunching in preparation to leap through the gaping hole in the wall, but before he could carry through the motion, his sensitive ears caught wind of a faint meow, a kitten in distress. He was torn, everything in him screaming that he needed to smash the one who had smashed his home but he also had to find those kittens and keep them safe. His huge form faltered, shifting on the spot with his indecision.

"Hey big guy. We've got this one if you wanna just chill here." The red and gold Soup Can Man flew past.

Hulk liked Soup Can Man, he was good in fights. He could be trusted to smash things while Hulk found the kittens. Little Banner knew where the kittens were and he didn't guard the knowledge from Hulk like he had some other things. As carefully as he could be, Hulk crossed the ruined hallway, easily moving the debris that blocked the doorway to the kittens. Gripping the door handle, he ripped the whole thing off its hinges before tossing it carelessly out of the way.

The kittens were cowering in the back of the room, under a table that had protected him from shrapnel falling from above. They cried pitifully, tugging at his giant green heart. One giant hand rested on the floor, coaxing the tiny fur balls closer. Another missile impact shuddered through the building and the kittens trembled before deciding that he was the safest place to be and scrambled onto his hand. He didn't even notice the tiny claws that dug into his hand as he lifted them up to his broad chest, ready to shelter them from anything. With one large finger, he gently petted their soft, silky fur, humming softly and comfortingly.

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It wasn't until a few weeks later at SHIELD headquarters that they discovered that kittens calming Hulk wasn't a one-off type of thing. There had been an explosion at one of the SHIELD labs and they'd asked him to come in and ensure some of the more fragile work was still secure. He hadn't gotten more than three feet into the sealed room before he felt a tightening in his chest. There was barely time to swear before the other guy was making an appearance, immune to the gasses filling the lab. Bloody Fury and his games.

Hulk looked around, confused. There wasn't any obvious threat; he didn't know what had threatened Little Banner or what he needed to smash. Sharp ears picked up the soft paw steps of his favourite type of fluffy felines in the air vents and he grinned, easily distracted.

He followed the sounds as best as he could, since Agent had asked him not to smash SHIELD walls. Agent was his friend and Birdy's special person. Birdy had been sad while Agent was gone, it was good that Agent was back to make Birdie happy. He didn't want to make Agent upset, so it took him a little longer to find the kitty than it usually would have. Nevertheless, he did find the tiny black kitten, with its glowing yellow-green eyes and chuckled happily as it crawled all over him, using his hands to make a kitty jungle gym.

Bruce woke up to find the tiny warm body of the kitten pressed against his side. He could feel its small body moving with each breath, which was incredibly soothing. The last thing he wanted was to have hurt a kitten; it was definitely not something he wanted on his conscience. He wasn't sure how long he had sat on the floor, but as he expected, eventually Tony found him.

A pair of pants were flung in his face and he put them on gratefully. He looked up to find Tony holding the kitten with ease. Stark was surprisingly good with cats.

He fixed Bruce with a stare that he knew only too well. It seemed to say, _there is a puzzle her and I _will_ get to the bottom of it._ "Big green ignored a threat in favour of finding a kitten. Why?"

Bruce shrugged. "He likes kittens," he said simply. "They're not afraid of him. It calms him down."

"So, basically, kitties soothe the savage beast," Stark chuckled.

This was how SHIELD came to include in every new recruit training session the location of all the nearest animal shelters, so that there were always kittens on hand if Bruce Banner started to turn green.

_Fin_

**Author's Note: The kitten described in this story belongs to a friend of mine. No points for guessing who **** I hope you found this cute, it's meant to be cute. Please, if you have the money, come and bid in the auction. (Once again, I'm under the name WyckedStarr) You have the chance for me to write you a custom-made story for as little as $1 :)**


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